Barcelona Transfer News: Paul Pogba Priority Rejection Discussed by Albert Soler

Barcelona director Albert Soler has revealed the club turned down the chance to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus this summer.

The France international eventually moved to Manchester United for a world-record transfer fee. According to Soler, though, the Catalan side had agreed a deal with Juve to have first choice on the player, but they opted not to exercise it, per Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror.

“Last year we reached a deal with Juventus for us to have a priority option when they sold Pogba," he said. “This summer we decided that there were players that suited us better on a sporting level. The idea of the board was that nobody would be able to get ahead of us in the market. It allowed us to have options.”

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Pogba would have suited the current Barcelona model. While the club principles of keeping the ball and pressing high remain prevalent under manager Luis Enrique, the more direct nature of this Blaugrana side would have been ideal for the former Bianconeri star.

Ultimately, the Frenchman ended up in Manchester for a second time and is set to be at the crux of manager Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils revolution.

BT Sport commentator Ian Darke thinks the Old Trafford outfit conducted brilliant business in the window:

Barcelona arguably conducted the standout recruitment in the Spanish top flight, though. They secured the signings of Jasper Cillessen, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne, Denis Suarez and Paco Alcacer.

Andre Gomes is another who came in, and he's likely to occupy a similar role to the one Pogba would have potentially filled. The former Valencia man is a little more flighty than the United man, although his ability to carry the ball through phases of the pitch and glide past opponents is similar to the Frenchman.

Malyon noted that Barcelona feel as though Gomes is “more suited to Barca's style of play” than Pogba. Here is a glimpse at what he will bring to the club this season:

However, as noted by Spanish football journalist Sergi Dominguez, getting minutes at the Camp Nou will be difficult for the 23-year-old and other new signings:

Given Barca were keen to strengthen various areas of the squad this summer, perhaps it’s no surprise they opted not to part with such a sizeable chunk of money on Pogba.

While the midfielder would have potentially improved the starting XI in Catalonia, Barca now have more depth and variety in more vital areas of the field.

Should Pogba go on to develop into a midfield colossus at Old Trafford, some tied to the Blaugrana may lament the club not exercising their option to get him to the Camp Nou.

However, Barca have addressed the issues that hampered the team late last season superbly and will be confident of dominating on both the domestic and European fronts as a result.